The thought nearly suffocated me.
“Valentina?” Júlia rushed into the kitchen, taking one look at my face and going still. “What happened?”
She’d been planning to stop by that morning to pick up a box of pastries to take to work. I blinked fast, trying to force back the tears burning behind my eyes, and shoved the document toward her with trembling hands.
“Enrico…” My voice came out thin. “He—he filed for a DNA test, Júlia. Less than twelve hours after seeing Clara. How did he do it so fast?”
Júlia read the paper quickly. Her expression tightened.
“Oh my God… this is bad, Val,” she whispered, touching my arm gently. “What do you think he wants?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice cracking. “And that’s what terrifies me. Not knowing his real intentions is the worst torture I can imagine.”
I forced myself to breathe, to pull my thoughts back into line. I had to be strong. I had to think.
“So what are you going to do?” Júlia asked carefully, visibly shaken.
“I… I don’t know,” I said honestly, eyes glassy. “All I know is that I have to protect my daughter. No matter what it costs.”
My shoulders sagged. Exhaustion and fear made me feel hollow.
“We should sit,” Júlia suggested.
“You don’t need to miss work,” I said automatically. “Your pastry box is right there.”
I pointed to the counter without really looking.
“Perks of being the boss,” she replied, slipping an arm around my waist and guiding me to the small table in the corner of the kitchen.
The bakery was still closed. No customers. No noise. Just the two of us—and my fears multiplying in the quiet.
“What am I going to do, Júlia?” I whispered, rubbing my eyes, still gritty from a sleepless night. “What am I going to do?” I repeated, like saying it twice might produce an answer.
Júlia set the document down—only then did I realize it had ended up in my hands again—and looked at me with real concern.
“Do you think he’d do something to you and Clara?”
I swallowed. My throat felt too tight to work.
“I don’t know,” I said, hating how fear sounded in my own voice. “I don’t know him anymore. I don’t know how far he’ll go to get what he wants. And I don’t know what he plans to do with this test.”
“But…” Júlia hesitated. “He didn’t seem… happy to find out he has a daughter?”
I shook my head, tears burning again.
“He looked furious,” I whispered. “Like he hated me even more because of it. And now I’m terrified of what he might do with Clara.”
Júlia inhaled, decision hardening in her face. She reached for my phone and set it on the table between us.
“You need a lawyer, Valentina,” she said firmly. “You can’t face Enrico Ferrara alone. Not this time.”
“I don’t even know where to start…”
She covered my hand with hers.
“Call Dr. Rafael,” she said. “He’s trustworthy. He helped my cousin when she had something similar happen. You need to know your rights before anything else.”
I nodded, chest heavy as stone, and scrolled through my contacts to find the number Júlia gave me.
